Duke and N.C. State have added players to their football recruiting classes, with each program increasing to 19 known commitments.
Headed to Duke are defensive end Dezmond Johnson (6-5, 215) from Nashville, Tenn., and Overton High School, and offensive guard Alex Hill (6-4, 305) from Slidell (La.) High.
State's latest commitment is from defensive end Art Norman (6-1, 225) of Stone Mountain, Ga., and Chamblee High. All three can sign binding letters of intent Feb. 3, at the start of the NCAA signing period for football.
SuperPrep magazine ranked Johnson as the No. 10 senior in Tennessee in the preseason, and Coach Terry Anderson of Overton said that Purdue, Mississippi, Middle Tennessee State and Arkansas State also offered Johnson scholarships.
Johnson has played football for only the last two high-school seasons. He had concentrated on basketball until just before his junior year, when he accepted Anderson's invitation to join the football team.
"I was out shopping on a Saturday and Dezmond was there," Anderson said. "He said, ‘Coach, is it too late for me to give football a try?' I said, `No, I told you that you ought to give it a try.' "
Johnson played immediately because of injuries and in his first game had five sacks against a pass-oriented team. As a senior, he had 18 sacks, 85 tackles and a blocked punt.
He was named the Metro Nashville defensive player of the year by the Metro Coaches Association and was also the top district defensive player. He has 4.7-second speed in the 40, and also played tight end in his last three games, finishing with 250 yards receiving.
SuperPrep ranked Hill as the No. 29 senior in the preseason, and he also had scholarship offers from Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, Southern Methodist, Southern Mississippi and Texas A&M.
Norman also received offers from Samford, Coastal Carolina, Gardner-Webb and Elon and considered attending Cornell and playing football there.
He was a starter at Chamblee the last three seasons and had 12 sacks, 20 tackles for losses and 50 total tackles as a senior. He has 4.7-second speed and was all-county and all-region.
"I come real hard off the ball," Norman said. "I'm quick. I'm not the fastest player on the field, but I'm quick off the ball. It's hard to catch me."
bcole@wsjournal.com
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